Page 117 of Heating Up (Nugget)
“Actually, a client and I are pulling a late one.” Dana reached for the bag, hoping to get away before Sophie asked any more questions. How they’d managed to keep Gia a secret this long was nothing short of a miracle.
“Well, you tell that handsome friend of yours hello. Lilly’s looking forward to seeing him at the wedding.”
“I’ll do that,” she said, and was beyond tempted to call him just to hear his voice—that deep Chicago accent that made her girl parts tingle.
Instead, she brought dinner straight to Gia’s room, where they sat at the writing table and plowed through ribs, mashed red potatoes, and a nice Syrah.
“Have you thought more about the Decker place?” Dana asked Gia about the forty-acre tree farm they’d looked at earlier. The house had been darling and the property had a smattering of cabins that just needed to be winterized if Gia wanted to use them as rentals.
“I might be able to live with it.” Gia said.
Dana didn’t think Gia should have to live with her next home; she should love it.
“We’ll keep looking,” she said.
Gia played with the remote control while they drained the remainder of the Syrah and started on the Merlot. No question, they were both depressed—and getting soused. It was kind of nice having a friend to get drunk with. She now had three: Gia, Harlee, and Darla. And Aidan. He was her best friend. That would obviously change with Sue back. Hopefully, he’d return to Chicago so she wouldn’t have to see them together every day.
Dana got up to wash barbecue sauce off her hands, even though she’d used one of the wet wipes Sophie had included in their package. Gia’s bathroom was even more plush than Dana’s. She had to hand it to Maddy; for such a small town the amenities at the inn were top notch.
“Do you smell that?” Gia called to her.
“I know,” Dana said through the open door, “the fragrance in these soaps is fantastic.”
“Not that. Smoke.”
Dana immediately came out of the bathroom and sniffed. “Yeah, I do.”
Before they could decide what to do next, an alarm sounded, and Gia’s room phone rang simultaneously. She answered, listened for a few seconds, and hung up.
“The Inn’s on fire. They want us to evacuate.”
They both grabbed their purses, ran for the door, and, like the other guests, took the stairs two at a time. In the chaos, Dana didn’t realize the sprinklers on the main floor had gone off until she noticed that Gia, who’d run out without her hat and sunglasses, had wet hair.
Maddy and her brother, Nate, stood by the door, directing traffic. In soothing voices, they assured everyone that if they followed directions no one would be harmed. But a thick cloud of smoke had filled the air, making Dana’s eyes water and her throat scratch. Only a few feet to the door and she was finding it difficult to breathe.
“You okay?” Gia grabbed her arm.
Dana tried to respond, but her throat had constricted. It was as if she was going into anaphylactic shock or having an asthma attack. Her airway felt blocked. Gia started waving wildly as they followed the trail of guests out the front door, down the porch, and onto the front lawn. “My friend is having trouble breathing.”
Maddy rushed over. “Dana? Oh God, her face is blue.”
She and Gia helped Dana to the ground, where she proceeded to choke violently. In the near distance sirens rent the air. Help was on its way. Thank goodness, because Dana seriously felt ill, like she was on the verge of vomiting. Her head pounded like a bass drum, yet she was still cognizant of everything around her, even if it seemed to be moving in slow motion.
Flames had engulfed the south end of the inn, possibly the kitchen. From a distance, she could see that some of the employees were trying to douse the blaze with garden hoses. Nate had joined a bucket brigade, and slowly but surely, the fire stopped spreading. Then, for a space of time, everything went hazy.
All Dana remembered was Harlee running over with a camera slung over her shoulder, shouting, “Dana? Dana? Are you okay? The ambulance is here.”
Dana looked up to see two paramedics and Aidan running toward her. She’d never seen him look so grim. Maybe the fire was worse than she’d thought.
The paramedics started taking her vital signs and quickly slipped an oxygen mask over her face. A small circle of people started to gather around her. Aidan pushed his way in and took her hand. The medics moved him aside.
“Ah Jesus, Dana.” He kept reaching under his helmet to scrub his hand through his hair. “You’re going to be okay, baby. It’s smoke inhalation.”
She couldn’t talk with the mask over her face, so she nodded. The smoke had only been there a few minutes. How could she feel so bad?
Rhys came jogging up, took one look at Dana, and frowned. “All right, people, give her some room.” He shooed away the crowd.
“We’re taking her to Plumas District,” one of the paramedics said, and Aidan made eye contact with him. “She’ll be fine. But a doctor should look her over.”
